Rail anchor



Aug. 1, 192s.

R. A. BLAIR un, .wcnon Fild Spt. 1, 1927 2 sheets-Smet 2 n l fw M I A f m A 0 W f y au Hf il? i //w 7 ,Il f www Patented Aug. 7,. 17928'.

unirse STATES ROLANDISA. BLAIR, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, AssIGNOI; To THE P am COMPANN',

t OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

RAIL ANCHOR.

Application filed September My invention relates to rail anchors and has for its principal. object the provision Of an improved anchor device which is so constructed as to simplify the manufacture of 5 the device and which when applied to a rail will maintain its holdtliereon by reason of a relatively rigidpart Ol the anchor having a tight frictional grip on theV rail base an bythe spring pressure exerted against'the l0 rail base by a part of the anchordevice.

A ymore specific object is to provide an improved two-piece anchor, the parts of which may be yformed from flat metal blanks cut -from relatively narrow stripsof metal '15 stock without appreciable waste of material and which when bent to their completed forms and assembled are held engaged by the resiliency of one of the members.

A Jfurther specificobject is to provide a two-pieceanchor in which the member elnployed to resist the creeping pressure of the rail is relatively rigid and non-yielding and in which the member tor retaining the gripping member in its operative position on the rail is so formed as to yield transversely of the rail so as .to'accommodate the anchor to rail base flanges of different widths and to insure a tight grip transversely of the rail.

The invention has for av still further object such other new constructions and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out the above stated objects and such other incidental objects as will appear from the detailed description of the embodiment shown' in the accompanying drawings. i

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a cross section through the base portion of a railroad Vrail showing a railan-A chor device constructed. in'accordancenvith my invention inv the process of being applied to the said base flange.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the anchor device in its applied position.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the anchor ydevice. vwith a part ofthe jaw member in' section. This view is taken on line 3-f3 of Fig. l looking in the direction indicated by the .ar-V row.

` Fig. 4 is a view in perspective, with parts broken away for the-,purpose of clearness,v of the jaw member of the `anchor device shownin the preceding figures.y

gio

fj Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a trans- 1, 1927. semi No. 216,840.

verse bar member employed to retain rail gripping jaw member in its applied pe.- sition,and v M' Y' i Fig. 6 is a flat view of a sheet metal blank from which the jaw member 'shown in Fig. 4 is formed'r The embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings consistsof railerippne .member l0 adapted utelve driven transversely of the rail intoengagementk with one flange of the rail basefll, andV a retaining member 12which extends across beneath the rail base and engages withmtli edge of the base flange at the oppositesikde oftherail. The gripping member is made from a flat met-a1 blank 13 of the configuration shown in Fig. 6. The blank may be made of any suitable material. Preferably,it is made 'of spring metaland is formed of such proportion that it can be sheared from a metal strip having a Width corresponding to one dimension of the blank. The said blankisl sheared'intermediate its ends to provide a central tongue portion 14 and recesses 15 and 16 which define the rail. gripping usurfaces 1 7 and 18 of upper'and lower jaws 1Q-.2()y and 21-22. The ends ol the blank are bent along the dotted lines 23 and 24 (Fig. 6') until the endsfor jaw portions 25 and 26 ofv the blank stand at substantiallyV ri ht angles' to the central portion 27 of the blank.` The tongue portion 14 is `bent down to a position substantially at a right angle to the central portion 27 and provides a seat on which one end of the retaining member12 'bears-When the parts of the 'anchor are assembled. Preferably lthe tongue 14 in the' finished form of the `gripping member, extends'between the' jaw portions 25 and 26 and is so 9g, disposed lwith relation to the rail gripping i surfaces 18-18 of the lower jaws that'when the retaining member is in place and the anchor is free of the rail, the upper surface of the retaining member will prfoje'ct-v slightly l@ abovethe gripping surfaces 18-918 of the lower jaws'. With such. `construction the tongue portion is depressed slightly andvconsequently forces the retaining y mnnber up against the bottom of the railbase when the |915 jaws 19---20 and 21-22 are driven to their Operative gripping positions on the rail. The jaw portions are so spaced with relation to each other'longitudinally of therail asV 'to exert suflicie'nt spring clamping action on H9 the edges of the retaining member 12 to hold the retaining member in ,its normal assembled position between the said jaw portions when the anchor is free of the rail, thereby providing in effect a one-piece anchor device. The portions preferably stand perpendicular tothe bottom surface of the rail base and the gripping surfaces 1T- 18 bear flat against the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base so as to provide a tight wedging engagement with said rail base when the gripping member is in its applied position. j

- The retaining member consists of a flat metal strip, preferably spring steel, formed at one end with an upturned flange 28 providing a locking shoulder for 'engagement with one edge of the rail base. The other end is formed with a downturned loop portion 29 the extremity 30 of which preferably lits4 between the jaw portions 25, 26 of the gripping .member and bears against the end of the tongue'll. The distance between the extremity 30 of the loop 29 and the upturned end 28 of the member 12 is normally such that, with the said loop in engagement with the tongue 14 of the gripping member and the said gripping member driven to its operative position on the rail base, it is necessary to partially close the loop to `engage the flange 28 over the edge S1 of the rail base. The distortion of the loop portion provides sufficient spring pressure transversely of the rail to retain the gripping member in its tight gripping engagement with the rail base. The said loop may be made of any suitablesize or shape to provide the desired spring pressure or to accommodate the anchor to rails having base flanges of ydifferent widths. In the embodiment illustrated, the loop is-so formed that the portions 32 thereof project beyond the outer edges of the portions 25 and 26 of the gripping member so as to provide a relatively wide surface for base.

in Fig. 2. When the gripping member V receiving the hammer blows during the application of the anchor to the rail. A

j ln operation `the retaining member 12 is engaged with the gripping member 10 at i. the factory, it being necessary to spread the jaw portions and 26 to permit the insertion of the member 12 between them. The spring pressure of the jaws 25 and 30 is sufficient to prevent disengagement of the j members 10 and 12.

The anchor is applied to the base flange ofthe Irailby hooking the jaw portions of the gripping member over one iange of the rail. base as shown in Fig. 1*of the dra-wings. The loop portion 32 of the retaining member may then be struck with a sledge or suitable implement to force the jaws 19, 20 andV21--22 into tight wedging engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of the rail That is to say, to the position shown has been driven to the limit of its applying movement the upper edge of the flange 28 preferably stands a short distance to the right of the edge 3l of the rail base as shown in dottedlinesin Fig. 2. Further driving force delivered against the loop portion 32 distorts the loop sufficiently to permit the flange 28 to snap over the edge 31 of the rail base. The distortion of the loop end of the retaining member sets up a spring pressure transversely of the rail while the depression of the spring tongue 14 from the position indicated in 1 to the position of Fig. 2 exerts pressure vertically of the rail ase.

From the above description of the construction and operation of the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings it Will be seen that l have provided a two-piece rail anchor which may be shipped and applied as a one-piece anchor and which when applied grips therail with a strong frictional grip `and by a spring pressure exerted both vertically and transverse-ly of the rail. In this connection it will be notedthat the springl pressure transversely of the rail is produced by reason of the configuration of the separately formed retaining member 12.

It will also be noted from an inspection of the (flrawings in connection with the above description that the gripping member may be applied to either side of the rail base and positioned to bear against either of two adj acent ties so as to resist creeping movement of the rail in either direction. The relatively wide jaw portion provides bearing faces of suflicient width to avoid damaging the ties, all of which advantages are provided by a simplified form of device of the twopiece type..

I' claim:

l. A rail anchor comprising a rail gripping member for engagement with one flange of a rail base, and a retaining bar formed to bear against the bottom" surface of the rail base for. a substantial distance transversely of the rail and engaging said lli() gripping member and the opposite edge of the rail base and adapted to yield transversely of the rail to permit said engagement of said bar with the rail base.

2. A rail anchor comprising a rail gripping member formed with spaced jaw portions for engagement with one flange of a rail base, and a retaining bar gripped resiliently between said jaw portions and engaging the opposite edge of the rail base and adapted to yield transversely of the rail to permit said engagement of Vsaid bar with the rail base.

3. A rail anchor comprising a rail lgrip-r the retaining member into frction'al' engageedge of the rail base and adapted te ield transversely of lthe rail to permit sai Lem" gagement of said bar with the rail base, and means onv said gripping member for forcing ment with the bottom Surface off the rail base.

4. A rail anchor comprising a rail grip` ping member' formed with spaced jaw portions for engagement with one' flange of a rail base and disposed normally perpendicular to the bottom surface ofthe rail when in their applied positions,` a retaining bar clamped between said portions' and engaging the opposite edge of the rail base and adapted to yield transversely ofthe railv to permit said engagement of said baiwith the `rail base, and means on said gripping member for forcing the retaining member into frictional engagement withy the bottom surface of' the rail base.-

5. A rail anchor comprising a rail grip.- ping member formed withvspaced jaws for gripping one flange of the rail base and al spring tongue dispose-d between said jaws and adapted to be depressed in applying said jaws to their operative positions, and a separately formed retaining member positioned between said jaws and adapted to be forced transversely of the rail into engagement with the edge of the otherlange of the rail base.

6. A rail anchor comprising a rail gripping member formed with spaced jaws for gripping one flange of the rail base and a spring tongue disposed between said jaws and a separately-formed retaining member positioned between said jaws and adapted t0 be. forced transversely of the rail into engagement with the edge of the other flange f transversely ofthe railinto engagement with the edge of the other flange of the rail base; the arrangement of the said spring tongue and the retaining member being such that the retaining member is held in frictional engagement with the bottom of the rail base by the resiliency of the tongue.

8. A rail anchor comprising a rail gripping member formed with spaced jaws for gripping one flange of the rail base, and a separately formed retaining member forme-d at one end with a loop to provide resiliency transversely of the rail and positioned between said jaws and adapted to be flexed by movement of the retaining member transversely of the rail to permit said engagement with the edge of the other flange of the rail base.

A9.r A rail. anchor comprising a rail gripping member formed with spaced jaws for gripping one-flange of .the rail base in a position to bear against an adjacent cross tie', and a separately formed retaining member formed at one end with a loop the end ofwhich bears against a portion of said gripping member and provides resilience transversely of the rail vto permit engagement of the other end ofsaid retaining member with the opposite edge of the rail base.

10.- A rail anchor comprising a rail gripping member formed with spaced jaws for grippingy one flange of the rail base and a spring tongue'disposed between said jaws, and a separately formed retaining member formed at one end with a loop, the end of which bears against the end of said spring tongue and provides resilience transversely of the rail and is positioned between said jaws and adapted to be forced transversely of the rail into engagement with the opposite edge of the rail base. j

11. A rail anchorcomprising a rail gripping member formed with spaced rail gripping jaws adapted to be driven into flat gripping engagement .with the top and bottom surfaces of one base flange of the rail, and a retaining member held between said jaws by spring pressure and adapted to be driven transversely of the rail into engagement with the other flange of the rrail base.

12. A rail anchorcomprising a rail gripping member formed with spaced rail gripping jaws adapted to be driven into flat gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of one base flange of the rail, and a retaining member held between said jaws by spring pressure and adapted to be driven transversely of the rail-.into engagement with the other flange of the rail base, one end of said retaining member being vformed with a resilient loop engaging said gripping member and formed at the other end with a shoulder adaptedto snap up over the edge of the last mentioned flange of the rail base.

13. A rail anchor comprising a rail gripping member formed from a Hat metal blank sheared intermediate its ends and bent to provide a centrally disposed tongue portion and spaced rail gripping jaw portions,

the latter of which normally stand-perpendicular to the bottom surface of the rail` base, and a retaining member formed from a'metalstrip provided at one end with a shoulder for engagement with one flange of the rail base and at the other end with a inn lll)

loop, the free end of which bears against said gripping member to provide aspring grip transverselyo the rail; the said loop end oi'f the retaining member being clamped between the jaw portions of the said gripping member by the resilience of said jaw members.

14. A rail anchor comprising a gripping member for gripping one flange of a rail base, and a separately formed retaining member provided at one end With means for engaging the edge oi one base flange of the rail and provided at the other end With means providing a resilient engagement with said gripping member.

15. A 'ail anchor comprising a gripping member for gripping one flange or a rail base, and a separately formed retaining member provided at one end with means for engaging the ede of one base flange ot the rail and provided at the other end with a bent portion providing a resilient engagement 'with said gripping member.

yLewes@ `16. A rail anchorcomprising a gripping member for gripping oneflange of a rail base, and a separately formed retaining member formed at one end with means for engaging the edge of one base lange of the rail and provided atv the other end With a looped portion providing a resilient engagement with said gripping member.

17. A rail anchor comprising a gripping member for gripping one flange of a rail base, and a separately formed retaining member'provided at one end with means for engaging the edge ofone base -lange of the rail and provided at the other end with means providing a resilientv engagement with said gripping member; the length oi said retaining member being such that it is necessary, in applying the anchor to a rail, toleX said resilient end portion of the re.- taining member in forcing it into operative engagement With the rail to lock the gripping member in Vposition thereon.

vvROLANDIS A. BLAIR. 

